The psychological effects of fast food consumption on body image emotions

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the arousal of negative consumer emotions as a consequence of fast food consumption among individuals with restrained food consumption. Furthermore, a moderating effect of socio-cultural pressure to buffer these relationships is positioned for the first time. Design/methodology/approach The field study is completed with data collected through an online survey among 353 customers by employing a random sampling technique. The collected data are analyzed through confirmatory factor analysis procedures. Findings The hypotheses related to the effects of fast food consumption on body image guilt and shame, body image guilt on planning diet and shame, moderator role of socio-cultural, in terms of shame, are accepted. Research limitations/implications A key limitation is data collected from individuals with restrained food consumption in Turkey which limits the generalizability of results to other countries and contexts. Practical implications The results call for paying attention to socio-cultural pressures that enhance shame. Originality/value The primary contribution of this paper lies in the fact that fast food consumption is scantly related to the arousal of negative consumer emotions. Furthermore, moderating effects of social pressures and Turkish context are also unique to this study.